Then

Jake fumbled as he tried to figure out how to bind the little mauler with the chains. “This is so fucked up,” he muttered. He had lost all reluctance to touch the small human monster when he realized that it could wake up any second and Cal was busy fighting Flo, who might also be a human monster and the actual Midtown Mauler they had been hunting. Now that was truly fucked up. How could he have missed that?

“What’re you doing, Gates?”

“Sorry, boss, can’t explain, have to chain this little guy up before he wakes up and eats us.”

Detective Ordonez glared at Jake’s broad back.

The sound of breaking wood out in the hallway jolted them. The detective shifted positions to cover the door and the hole in the wall with her shotgun

“So… uh, what’s up with Flo?”

“I suspect that she’s the actual Midtown Mauler and this little one is one of her brothers. Judging by the size it’s probably the youngest one. I’d guess he’s maybe three or four.”

“Damn, unlucky dude. Born after the apocalypse and gets turned into a monster. I’m starting to think the spires aren’t so cool.”

“They were never cool,” Detective Ordonez snapped.

“There… all done. I think that’ll hold the little guy. I heard Cal talking to Flo. He thinks there might be a way to reverse this.”

Detective Ordonez nodded.

A loud crash out in the hallway caused Jake to jump.

“Alright, Gates. I’ll cover this. You cover the… kid.”

“Got it. I’ve got a full power magic mis—”

The chains rattled.

Both the detective and Jake spun around.

As it turned out, Jake did a terrible job securing the chains.

Little Freddie Browning, transformed into something monstrous had managed to slip out. He leapt at the bigger target.

Jake fired off his magic missile spell. A small, glowing orb of blueish light emerged from the smartphone in his hand and flew in an arc to burn through Freddie’s arm.

It did nothing to stop Freddie from crashing into Jake’s chest and bearing him down to the ground with his super strength.

“Get him off me!”

Fabric flew as Freddie tore at Jake’s tactical vest. He reached the ceramic plate and started to tear into that too.

Jake frantically reached into his pocket, found the phone and tapped the screen as fast as he could. While Freddie continued to tear away at the plate protecting him.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon.”

In answer to his pleas a blue glow briefly appeared around his body.

Freddie successfully tore through the plate, but when he tried to slash Jake’s chest open a blue light flared at the point of impact.

Jake sighed with relief. The mana shield would last as long as he had mana. There was only one problem. Freddie was terribly strong. The shield wasn’t going to last at this rate and he couldn’t use any other spells since that would only add to the drain.

Jake pulled his Glock from his holster and shoved it under Freddie’s chin. Cal had said that there might’ve been a way to reverse the transformation, but he wasn’t going to trade his life for that.

“Sorry kid.” Jake squeezed the trigger.

Freddie jerked his head back. He was too fast the bullet only grazed his chin instead of going into his brain.

Jake tried to adjust his aim, but Freddie opened his mouth impossibly wide. Enough to engulf Jake’s gun and hand.

Freddie bit down.

The mana shield held.

Freddie bit down again and again. Until Jake felt the sudden and overwhelming sensation of fatigue that came with mana drain.

He was almost too tired to notice when Freddie bit his hand off at the wrist. Almost.

Jake screamed.

Freddie spat out Jake’s gun and hand. He pried the hand free and shoved it back into his mouth. He chewed with vigor and a look of pure delight on his face.

Jake would’ve puked if he wasn’t already deep in shock.

“Chew on this, you monster.”

Detective Ordonez shoved the barrel of her shotgun into Freddie’s bloody mouth and squeezed the trigger.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Freddie’s eyes bulged.

He fell backward.

He didn’t move.

The detective had long considered the mauler’s potential vulnerabilities. It seemed that she was correct on one of her suppositions. The inside of his body lacked the superior durability of the outside.

“NNNOOOOO!”

Detective Ordonez spun around.

Flo was on her knees in the hallway. She had seen everything.

The detective watched in stunned silence as Flo transformed into something else, something monstrous. She realized that this was what, who, she had been chasing after. The Midtown Mauler had been beside her every step of the way.

Flo charged.

Detective Ordonez squeezed off a shot.

Flo ignored it. She barreled into the detective and sent her flying into the wall.

Detective Ordonez tried to bring her shotgun on target. Then realized that it wasn’t in her hands. Her vision went white for a moment. The pain had finally registered. She struggled to breathe. Every attempt brought on a wave of sheer agony. Many of her ribs were definitely broken. Despite it all she just grit her teeth and forced herself to focus.

She pulled out her Glock and activated one of her Skills. It was supposed to show her any vulnerabilities that she could potentially take advantage of. Except when she focused it on Flo. There was nothing.

Detective Ordonez’s analytical mind came up with two possibilities. Either she didn’t have the weapons and other means to meaningfully hurt Flo or the damage to her body caused her Skill to fail.

Before she could think of something else to try. Flo was standing over her.

Flo, the Midtown Mauler, bent down and grabbed the detective’s ankle. With her other hand she grabbed just above the detective’s knee.

“You killed Freddie.” Flo’s voice was guttural. Almost half a growl.

Flo pulled Detective Ordonez’s lower left leg at the knee. It looked effortless. Like the disturbed kid pulling legs of bugs.

The detective bit back the scream. She aimed her Glock and emptied the magazine.

Flo took the bullets without flinching. Tiny pinpricks of blood appeared where she was struck. She opened her mouth impossible wide and began to eat the detective’s leg, shoes, pants and bones. She chewed through it all.

“You’re strength will become mine.” Flo’s voice was guttural. “That’s what the voice said.”

----------------------------------------

It had taken seconds for Cal to bolster his flagging courage. They were costly seconds.

He was already too late when he rushed into the room.

The light from the moon and stars through the barred window gave him a clear view of the transformed Flo finishing off Detective Ordonez’s leg.

“Jesus…” Cal whispered in horror.

Flo turned and gnashed bloody teeth at Cal’s direction. She rushed him.

Too fast. Faster than before.

Cal slipped his head to one side, barely avoiding Flo’s spearing hand. Her nails cut a line across he side of his head. Her other hand stabbed at his stomach.

Cal pushed down on her hand while he jumped back into the hallway. Her nails pierced through his shirt and drew pinpricks of blood. He pulled her arm while stepping to the side and uncorking a right hook to her temple.

The gunshot-like crack shook the walls.

Flo’s head crashed into the side of the broken wall. Splintered wood cut into her head.

Cal followed it up with a left hook into her gut and a right to her back, where one of her kidneys was.

Flo swung out with a backhand that Cal saw, but was too slow to dodge. It caught him on the side of his head and smashed him into the wall.

Cal’s vision went black for a second, but he fought the urge to step into that dark hallway and clung to consciousness. He stumbled back away from Flo. He sensed more than saw her approaching. He shoved out with his telekinesis.

A white-ish shape flew away from him.

Cal’s vision cleared and stopped spinning a second later. It was timely.

Flo was back in front of him. Slashing at his face.

Cal stepped inside the arc of her arm. He tucked his left arm and fist tight to his head to absorb the hit, while he jabbed at her throat.

Flo’s eyes widened as she choked.

Cal stepped in and landed an uppercut into her gut. She doubled over. He grabbed her behind her head with both hands and pulled her into a knee to the chin.

Flo pulled back. She was stronger. Cal couldn’t keep her head down. So he kneed her in the solar plexus.

She countered by pulling down on Cal’s elbows. This brought his face close to hers. She opened her mouth wide and tried to bite his face off.

Cal kept her mouth from closing with his telekinesis. He got a good look down Flo’s throat. The smell was atrocious. He pushed back away.

Flo slashed out.

Cal covered his face with his arms. He felt the sting of her claws cutting through the sleeves of his jacket and into his skin.

He sent another wave of telekinetic force in an attempt to keep Flo off of him.

It only managed to slow Flo briefly. She pushed through the force and grabbed Cal around the throat. She lifted him off the floor.

Cal reached for the knife blades in the hard plastic container at his belt.

Flo ripped the container off and threw it out the window.

“You… last,” Flo growled.

She slammed him into the floor in one motion. It gave way under the impact and Cal found himself falling to the first level.

By the time he had made it back up the stairs. Flo was gone. The broken window at the end of the hallway marked her passing.

Cal ran to the window, but he noticed the bodies on the ground in the room. That stopped him.

He rushed to Detective Ordonez’s side. She was trying to tie her belt around her thigh while the stump at her knee pumped out her precious blood. Her hands shook as she fumbled.

Cal stepped in and did it for her.

“Help Gates,” Detective Ordonez whispered.

Cal saw that Jake was out cold. His hand was gone. A puddle of blood spread under the stump. Wordless, numb, Cal hurried over and mechanically took Jake's belt and tied it tight around his arm.

“Oh my God!” Bennett appeared out of the shadows. His eyes were wide as saucers. “So much blood.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Cal said flatly.

“I’m not! I’d never…” Bennett was aghast.

“Where were you?”

“Um… that’s what I came to tell you. I think Flo might be the mauler, but I think you probably are already aware,” Bennett stammered. “She shoved her hand into my stomach. It was a new feeling. One I didn’t care to know. Oh, then she slashed my throat.”

“You look fine now.” Cal noted Bennett’s torn shirt and blood stains.

“I barely got away by hiding in the shadows. Took some time and most of my,” Bennett lowered his voice, “blood supply to heal.”

“So you’re basically good as new,” Cal said. “I need you to get back to Davis as fast as you can while I go after Flo.” He could sense her with his telepathy. A beacon of hatred and hunger that burned like a bonfire in the dark. “Head straight to my brother. Tell him everything that happened here. He’ll know what’s going on. I’ve filled him in on some of my suspicions.”

“Should I tell him where you’re going? I mean what if she’s headed after your brother. I heard what she said. Remy’s on her list too.”

“No,” Detective Ordonez coughed. “She’s going after the interim government first. She’s saving you and your brother for last.”

“How can you be sure?” Bennett’s eyes kept darting down to the blood around the detective’s knee.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Not sure. About seventy percent. It’s a skill.”

“Will she start at the top or go after people randomly?”

“The top. I think she’s been looking this whole time for those responsible for what happened to her family. Now that she has confirmation…”

“Can we warn them?”

“My radio,” Detective Ordonez pointed across the floor.

Cal floated the radio to her.

“I can’t reach all the way to the Capitol, but maybe I can get a message to anyone close enough and they can relay it.” Detective Ordonez shook her head. “Won’t make it in time thought. Flo’s already got a head start.”

“Bennett, get to my brother as fast as you can.”

“Do we come help you?”

“No. Tell Remy I want them to play this defensively.”

“Got it.” Bennett nodded then melted away into the shadows.

“Are you two going to be okay?”

“We’ve got enough time before getting proper medical attention becomes critical.” Detective Ordonez pointed a shaky finger to her eyes. “Didn’t know how useful these skills were.” She hit the button on her radio and lifted it up to her mouth. “Don’t worry about us, Cruces. I’ll put in a call for help.”

“Tell them to get into whatever secret safe rooms and bunkers they’ve got. If they can’t tell them to run.”

“We have contingencies for situations like this. Just do what you’re here for. Stop her.”

Cal gave her one last nod before he too was out of the house and sprinting as fast as he could manage. The adrenaline of the fight had distracted him earlier, but now that there was a lull in the violence the stabbing needles in his brain were noticeable.

----------------------------------------

Cal covered the mile and a half distance to the Capitol Building in less than two minutes. He was already too late. He heard gunfire coming from somewhere inside the enormous building. Several bodies were scattered around the walkway to the capitol’s steps. More people he was responsible for. He forced the thought away. There would be time to brood and beat himself up over it later. Assuming there was a later for him.

He looked up at the domed roof and had a brilliant idea. From what he remembered of the several tours he had taken there was open space from the dome all the way down to the second floor. The rotunda covered one hundred feet of distance. If he dropped down from the dome maybe he could cut Flo off before she reached the interim governor’s office. Only problem was that he didn’t know exactly where that was.

He launched himself toward the top of the dome with his telekinesis. He misjudged his trajectory and was forced to course correct. It caused him to hit the dome harder than intended.

“Don’t look down, don’t look down, don’t look down,” Cal muttered. He didn’t like heights. Climbing the superslide stairs at the carnival when he was younger was a monumental act of courage for him.

Cal found the door to the interior. It was locked, but he brute forced his way in and slowly floated down into the rotunda.

A band of cast iron grizzly bears watched him descend, while the goddess of Eureka or something like that looked on.

He listened and stretched out with his telepathy. Searching for sounds of violence and feelings of terror and rage. He traced Flo to the third floor. He followed in her wake. Statues and paintings lined the corridors. So much history was now marred by blood splatters and bullet holes. More bodies, some were armed and armored, fighters and soldiers, some weren’t, just people doing their jobs.

Cal caught up to Flo as she tore a man’s head of his body. She had seen Cal coming and she tossed the head in his direction. As it rolled at Cal’s feet he recognized it as the police office that had tried to shoulder check him earlier. It had only been about an hour, but it felt like so long ago. He bent down and closed the man’s eyes.

Bodies were scattered around Flo. She hadn’t made it unscathed through her rampage through the building. She had several cuts, bullet wounds and a scorch mark over her chest and shoulder. Her long blond hair was singed black, while several patches had been burned away to the scalp. Her white skin was red and blistered, some of which oozed a mixture of pus and blood.

Flo reached for the door.

Cal tackled her to the floor.

They rolled across artful tiles, a mosaic of earth-toned shapes. They marred the floor with their blood.

Flo dug her nails into the surface to steady herself as she threw Cal off of her. She jumped to her feet and charged Cal.

He exploded off the floor, cracking the tiles under his feet. He drove his fist into Flo’s chest. Her ribs cracked under the impact.

Flo slashed Cal’s chest open to the bone.

He stumbled back. He telekinetically pulled at the statue set in an alcove against the wall and toppled it on top of Flo as she charged at him.

The statue probably weighed over half a ton. Flo shrugged it off her back with ease and sent it flying back into the wall.

Cal gestured at the broken pieces and sent them flying at Flo.

They battered her and she was forced to defend herself.

Cal took the opportunity the distraction gave him. He quickly crafted a tiny, telepathic spiked ball. He dropped it into Flo’s thoughts and violently expanded it. He had practiced the technique on every variety of gremlins. The human-sized gremlins he had killed outright. The gremlin alphas had been rendered insensate. He had never waited to see if they could’ve recovered. It wasn’t something that he felt comfortable using against other people, no matter how bad they were.

Desperation had a way of moving the lines a person wasn’t willing to cross.

Flo screeched and clutched at her head.

Cal felt blood flowing out of his nose. He had been waiting for that. It was a small, but pleasant surprise to last this long in a fight before the strain of using his mental powers went beyond simple pain.

Flo stumbled on wobbly legs.

Cal hit her with the statue’s pieces. A large piece tripped her up. He picked the pieces up with his telekinesis and rained them down on her like asteroids battering a planet.

Cal was desperate. Flo was down momentarily, but he didn’t think he could physically stop her. Which meant there was only one avenue left to him. Something he was reluctant to ever try. He wasn’t even sure if he could do it. He had no choice. He forged a telepathic connection.

Cal was lost until something brought him back to the physical world.

He was staring into Flo’s eyes. There was a ghastly grin on her too wide mouth.

“You… could… last…” Flo growled as blood dribbled down her chin.

Cal looked down. Her fingers were in his stomach.

He had one chance. He dived deeper into the telepathic connection. He took some solace in the fact that if he failed then he likely wouldn’t know. He’d just be dead.

Real time moved at a fraction of its normal speed.

Cal found himself standing inside a dark basement. He beheld a teenage girl cradling a toddler, a boy. Another boy, maybe ten years old was on his back on the cold concrete floor, his legs were up on the stairs leading up into the house. This boy was staring up at nothing.

Cal looked down at his own body. It was free from all the injuries he had collected. He couldn’t feel the pain from dozens of contusions and cuts, from the punctures and cracked ribs. The only thing that hadn’t been erased was the persistent stabbing pain in his brain.

Cal watched as time in the basement sped up. He had already seen everything from Freddie’s perspective, but the poor little guy had sort of mentally shut down for large parts of what they endured down there. The view from Flo’s perspective was more complete.

He watched Flo’s struggles to get Freddie to eat. To keep him clean. He watched her struggle to deal with the stench from Floyd’s body when it rotted.

Their food supply dwindled as the weeks turned into months.

Flo screamed herself hoarse begging for someone, anyone to find them, to save them, while Freddie’s fragile mind deteriorated. Until finally, they ran of food.

Days passed as the hunger ate away at both of them. They grew weak. It was all Flo could do just to hold Freddie, while he whimpered and cried in between bouts of fitful sleep.

Cal heard the all too familiar chime at the same time Flo did. The spires’ message. She had been given a Quest. One of survival at a heavy price. The reward was their lives and power.

Cal read the parameters of the Quest and felt sickened. Why was something so vile possible? He looked away as Flo completed it.

“You can’t even look,” Flo said. “Look at me! Look at what you made us do!”

Cal looked at Flo. She appeared as she did during her ordeal in her family’s basement. Her face was bloodied, her hands dripped.

“I made Freddie do it. It was the only way to save him.”

Cal said nothing. What could have he said?

“What is this?” Flo violently threw her hands out wide. “How are you doing this? Why are you making me live this nightmare again? It’s bad enough that I see it whenever I close my eyes.” Tears flowed down her face.

“It’s still not too late,” Cal said softly.

“No!” Flo snapped. “That’s where you’re wrong. I know you saw the Quest message, but you didn’t see the reward,” she spat. “We got a special superpower. Empowered Cannibalism. We’re stronger, faster, tougher. Just like the superheros in all those movies and cartoons Floyd loved so much. Like you. Except, unlike your powers, ours came with a cost.” Her voice grew soft. “We had to eat other people. I didn’t realize at the time I took the Quest, but it meant that we’d always have to eat other people.”

Flo let loose with a scream as she rushed at Cal.

Her fist stopped in front of Cal’s face. She strained, but it didn’t budge.

“You violate me,” Flo spat in his face. “This is my mind isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Get out.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Fine. I remember what’s happening out there. I wonder how long you can keep this up with my fingers in your stomach?” Flo skipped back with a grin. “I guess I can wait. You wanted to see my story, so might as well fulfill your dying wish. Where was I? Right, my superpower.” Her face twisted. “It came with a hunger that gnawed away at the pit of my stomach. I fought it at first…” she looked to the stains that marked where her Floyd’s body used to be, “after that first time. I fought it for months.”

“See, you can fight it.” Cal latched on to her words.

Flo laughed bitterly. “There’s no fighting it. Sooner or later I had to give in. You see. The power came with a different form. One that was just underneath the surface waiting, straining for freedom. I couldn’t just lock it up in the basement,” she sneered at Cal. “The spires called it the Eater form. More powerful in every way, including the hunger. It was a constant struggle to keep it from gaining control and every time you ate the balance tilted in its favor. See, poor Freddie was just a baby. He had no idea. His Eater took over almost immediately.”

“Then you had to chain him up.”

“I had to feed him. It was my fault. I’m the oldest. I was responsible. I was all he had left.”

“The mauler killings. You killed to feed him?”

“And myself. That was the thing with this power. The more I ate the stronger I became. The more I ate the more I wanted, needed.”

“You gained strength by eating,” Cal felt the gorge rise up his throat, “others with their own power. People with classes? Skills and magic?”

Flo nodded. “Detective Ordonez picked that up pretty quick. She was alright. Jake was annoying, but he was an alright dude, pretty lame, but harmless. I wish I didn’t—” Her face suddenly became blank.

Cal frowned. Flo’s thoughts had glitched for lack of a better word. It felt like a defense mechanism. He tried to get her back on track. “Why kill your fellow fighters and soldiers? I’m sure there were a bunch of shitty people out there you could’ve targeted instead. Why’d you wait so long to go after the gangbangers?”

“That’s exactly what I did,” Flo huffed. “I didn’t kill anyone that wasn’t a piece of shit. They all deserved it, but I don’t have to explain myself to you. You’re one of the biggest shits out there!” She screamed in his face. Then started laughing hysterically. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do once I’m free of whatever this is you’ve got me in. I’m going to avenge my family. Going to kill and eat you. The governor and anyone else who was responsible. Then I’m going to get your brother. The two of you should give me a huge boost. After that I’m declaring war on every evil bastard in the world.”

“I’m sorry,” Cal whispered. He knew what he had to do now.

Sharing Flo’s mind in this way revealed her innermost thoughts, desires and emotions. He knew that she meant every word because he felt them as his own. Her very identity blended together with his. It was one of the reasons why he had always been reluctant to connect too deeply with another mind.

The other reason was what he was capable off when connected to a mind that lacked any sort of protections against telepathy.

“Yeah, well. It’s the least you deserve after you killed my family and turned me and Freddie… into… this…” A look of realization dawned on her face. Tears welled in her eyes. “Mom and dad, Floyd… Freddie…” Her voice wavered. “Freddie’s dead.” Her head drooped.

Cal watched her in silence. He was trying to harden his heart for what he was about to do.

Flo wailed. Her body shook with her sobs. Until she suddenly stopped.

When Flo looked up her human face was gone. She was the Eater, the Midtown Mauler. She opened her jaw impossibly wide, razor-sharp teeth dripped saliva as charged Cal. Once again she was stopped short by an invisible barrier.

“Gonna… kill… eat…” Flo roared in Cal’s face from inches away.

“Florence Browning,” Cal said softly, “I’m sorry. I failed your family that night.” He took a deep breath. “And I failed you and Freddie tonight. I hope you find peace. I will not forget.”

Cal turned off Flo’s mind.

----------------------------------------

Cal woke up to someone slapping him.

“Hey! I need you to wake up, love!”

“Nila?” Cal said weakly.

Nila let out a long sigh and laughed, then cried.

Cal looked up at her. Confused. “What’re you doing here?” His eyes widened. “Flo!”

Nila’s eyes looked over past Cal’s feet. He lifted his head up off the floor and saw Flo, the Midtown Mauler’s still body. “Is she—?”

Nila nodded. “Yeah…”

“I don’t understand… why didn’t she change back?”

“We’ll figure that out later.” Nila pushed Cal’s head back gently until it was resting on the folded-up jacket. “I need you to try not to move while I clean out all the holes in your body. I swear the things that come out of my mouth,” she grumbled.

“Too tired to move. I’m pretty numb right now. I don’t even feel like I’m in my body.”

“Good, because these holes in your stomach are deep, but I have to make sure their clean before Bastien starts his healing thing. So, I’m going to have to get in there.”

Cal looked around while Nila got to work. He noticed for the first time that the ridiculous named, Team F.C.W.R. was arrayed around them in what looked like a defensive cordon. The boys, actually they were young men now. Technically adults or close. He saw that they were facing off with several of the interim government’s fighters. He didn’t like the hostility he sensed.

“Nila… what’s up with those guys?”

“I don’t know what the heck is wrong with them. They were definitely not happy that we showed up.”

“We? Who else came?”

“Remy’s talking to the temp governor.”

“Oh… good,” Cal relaxed. “They won’t try anything stupid if he’s around.”

“Tsk,” Nila scoffed. “Aren’t you forgetting about someone?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. You’d just beat the crap out of them. Remy would be able to take away their weapons.”

A chime sounded in his ears. The voice and text combination from the spires’ system.

Congratulations!

You have compl—

Cal ejected the message from his thoughts with disgust.

“Huh? Didn’t know you could that.”

“What?”

“I just ignored the Quest message.”

“Oh… okay, well I’m going to ignore you now, so I can concentrate on cleaning out your holes and maybe you’ll shut up so you can conserve your strength.”

“You said my ‘holes’,” Cal chuckled, then winced. “Okay, I felt that one.”

Nila rolled her eyes then dug back into her first aid work.

Cal tried to ignore the growing pain. Whatever dissociative thing that had been making him numb to his physical sensations faded. By the time Nila was done he had shut his eyes tight and was gritting his teeth.

“Nila, I did something really bad.”

“Whatever you did, you did because you had to,” Nila said. “Bastien, get over here. You’re up.”

“You don’t understand. I—”

“We’ll talk about it later. We need to fix you up first,” Nila said.

“Uh, hey man. You really got messed up.” Bastien knelt down next to Cal.

“Yeah… sort of did,” Cal muttered.

“Focus,” Nila glared.

“Right, sorry.” Bastien placed his hands over the bloody holes in Cal’s stomach.

“Take care of the organ damage first. I can always glue or stitch up the holes. Once you’re done with the stomach, move to the ribs.”

“Um… it doesn’t really work that way. The magic usually starts healing the worst damage. I don’t have, like, control,” Bastien said.

“Sounds like it’ll work out fine,” Cal said. “Thanks man, I’m counting on you. No pressure.”

“Right… sure…” Bastien started whispering a prayer. As he chanted his hands began to glow with a soft, subtle light.

“You’re going to be fine,” Nil squeezed Cal’s hand. “I need to go remind those soldiers that it’d be a bad idea to start something with our boys.”

“Thanks, love.” Cal wasn’t so sure that he believed her words. He didn’t think he was going to be fine for a long time.

Nila stood, picked up her ridiculously heavy weapon and went to stare down some soldiers.

Cal tried to ignore the strange and painful sensations of the holes in his internal organs slowly knitting themselves back together.

Twenty minutes later Bastien was tapped out.

The holes were still leaking blood, but were visibly smaller.

“I think I got the inside stuff,” Bastien said in between deep breaths.

“Appreciate it,” Cal grimaced.

“Great, because it’s time to go,” Remy said as he approached. “Let’s get you on a stretcher.”

“I need to stitch Cal up,” Nila said.

Remy made a face. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to wait till we get back to our own territory.” He raised his hands. “Interim governor thinks it’s best for all involved if we left immediately.” He gestured to the young men.

Gene and Johnny came over and unfolded a stretcher. Together they moved Cal onto it and lifted him off the floor.

“Wait, what about Flo’s body?” Cal grabbed Remy’s arm.

“Property of the government,” Remy said flatly. “Sorry. I’m not as good of as a negotiator as you.”

Cal nodded. He didn’t like it, but he wasn’t in a condition to object. That was going to change in the coming weeks.

“Let’s get you home.” Remy laid a hand on Cal’s shoulder.